And incredible, perfect fingers! I love lizards! And peeps, Mojave Max the Tortoise just came out of hibernation here in the desert the other day. I wish I could find a link for you. He came out all covered in dirt and looking somewhat grumpy but completely lovely! :)

How sweet, Theresa! I wish I could hear him. The birds in my backyard are singing their tail feathers off as well. So lovely! There’s this adorable little mouse at my job that runs back and forth in one of the outdoor areas. He picks up Mesquite pods in his mouth and then runs back under a bush. I told my co-worker that he told me his name is Bunny. All of the bees are named Fred. :)

We have lots of these lizards here at our home in Louisiana. They are very territorial with other lizards. My daughter found this out by catching them, numbering them with a sharpie, and then letting them go. No matter where she lets them go, they always find their way back to the exact spot where she caught them. They fight with other lizards on their way back. They’re like tiny dinosaurs.

This little lizard is an Anole. We live in FL and have them everywhere. Losing part of their tail is a defense mechanism. A predator can catch them by their tail but won’t get the whole lizard. The tail will wiggle for several seconds after it’s removed so it distracts the predator and the lizard can get away. Tails will grow back but maybe not straight. We have boys who definitely have their own territories and will guard them from any interlopers. We have one that guards the front porch with his harem!! His favorite place to sit is on the back of my folding canvas chair. He can watch his domain quite nicely from there. One of the back yard ones guards his domain while sitting on the BBQ grill. We have a lot of fun watching their antics especially when they bob their heads and puff up their red dewlap and look FEROCIOUS!! Yeah, right. :) But the girls love them for it. And they’re not even embarrassed when breeding.

Smart lizard – he’s using the ironwork as a cunning (a la “Blackadder”) disguise for the stubbularity of his tailio. (Which probably happened in a brave encounter when a silly hooman tried to pick him up by the non-bitey end.)

I just saw one of these beauties yesterday when I was out campaigning. It was in someone’s flowerpot by their door, so I stopped to take pictures. Maybe I’ll subit them & see if I can make the Qte cut.